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The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has proposed a change to the immigration law which would allow some H-4 visa holders to work. H-4 visas are granted to the spouse of H class work visa holders and to children under 21. The H-4 visa currently allows a spouse to reside in the US but does not allow him/her to work. It allows them to apply for a US driving license and open bank accounts.
The UK's chief inspector of immigration, John Vine, has found yet another backlog at the UK Border Agency (UKBA). Mr Vine published his new report into the UKBA's systems for dealing with marriage applications on 24th January 2013. Asked whether he thought the UKBA's performance had been satisfactory, Mr Vine said that he would have preferred not to have found so many backlogs. He said that the UKBA should 'do its homework' and added that customers of the UKBA, especially taking into account the high fees that they are charged to have their cases assessed, deserved a better service than they were receiving from UKBA.
In what may be seen as a sign of the times, it has emerged that gangs of 'people smugglers' are now doing business smuggling illegal aliens out of the UK.
The UK is one of the top destinations for illegal immigrants. Indeed, the Sangatte refugee camp near Calais in northern France was opened by the International Red Cross in 1999 to help care for the many people who were waiting near Calais with the intention of entering the UK illegally much of the time with the help of people smugglers. Most of the migrants were from Asia and did not have permission to be in the EU.
On Thursday January 24th 2013, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) announced that it is to launch a new visa for entrepreneurs. It will open for applications on April 1st 2013 and will be known as the Start-Up Visa.
Jason Kenney, the Canadian immigration minister and head of CIC said 'Our new Start-Up visa will help make Canada the destination of choice for the world's best and brightest to launch their companies. Recruiting dynamic entrepreneurs from around the world will help Canada remain competitive in the global economy.'
On December 13th 2012, The UK Border Agency (UKBA) announced a change to the rules affecting the eligibility of those with criminal convictions and those who owe money to HMRC to become UK citizens. The UKBA now has tougher rules for assessing who meets the 'good character' requirement for naturalisation. There is no actual definition of 'good character' in law but the new rules say that anyone who has served a lengthy prison sentence will now be considered not to be of good character for the rest of their life.
A poll of US voters released on Monday 21st January 2013 shows that 53% of those responding would support a change to the law to allow the estimated 11m immigrants currently living in the US to become legal permanent residents and grant them 'a path to citizenship'. 43% of respondents said that the government 'should prioritize deporting undocumented migrants. The poll shows that the US electorate is polarised on the issue of immigration as it is on many issues but the fact that there is a clear majority in favour of immigration reform will strengthen President Obama's hand as he presses for reform in Washington this year.